《Cruel Affinity》


 1: Affinity

    A young boy was born to the old duke and his beloved wife. It was a miracle. The old duke, Abo von Bergstadt, had long tried to sire an heir, but many things went wrong. His wife had only gotten pregnant thrice throughout their 30-year marriage and the first two times were miscarriages. He had even adopted a son from another family to take up the role of heir. But now it was different.


    A beautiful, healthy baby boy was born and much joy sprang up in his heart, even if it was clouded a little with worry. His wife was no longer young and the birth took quite a toll on her, but the smile on her lips brought by this miracle assured the duke her life was not in danger.


    Even then, he gestured for the priest, who aided in the delivery to continue his healing spells. Better safe than sorry, ran through the duke¡¯s mind. As he saw how the faintly glowing hands laid upon his wife soothed her, he could not help but feel a little jealous¡­ After all, his own skill could only hurt others, and though he only intended to use it to protect his loved ones, his estate and the kingdom, he had nary an opportunity in these peaceful times.


    His focus returned to the boy. What manner of skill will he hold? He couldn¡¯t fight the idea that his skill would be impeccable and bring him to the forefront of the world, even if he realized such ideas were planted merely by the irrational love he already felt for the tiny being. Ah, so this is what it is like to be a parent, he thought.


    It was customary for the skill only being read at the naming ceremony, but the duke could not wait. And what is a little bending of customs and rules for the powerful anyway? So he ended up sending for someone of the analysis skill, who held the key to learning about all manner of effects.


    A skill was a promise of the future. A child had no way to utilize them, but it would slowly grow stronger till it fully manifested in their teenage years. Having a remarkable skill was a mark of prestige. While he found his skill, ¡°Greater Warrior¡± useless, it gathered much attention in his youth as he bested all the other nobles in various competitions. It granted him remarkable ability with any weapon. He remembers how he effortlessly bested most, even while skipping out on training.


    Not that it was that bad to have a bad skill. In fact, most people had skill that were only minor boons to their everyday life. His wife, for example, had a skill called lesser balance. It only served to keep her from tripping and being slightly better at certain physical activities, most of which ladies did not participate in anyways.


    He made up his mind and covertly asked for an analyst to be brought to the estate in secret. He might bend the rules, but it would be unwise to let people know. In the meantime, he spent much of his time ignoring the duties that came with position and thought of names for their dear son.


    A few weeks later, the duke had returned to his duties, when the analyst arrived. They had also settled on a name, for their little bundle of joy. He was going to be called Darl, meaning beloved. They realized they could not give him a name, that didn¡¯t contain the love held for him and thus ended on a seldom used one, that captured their feelings perfectly.


    The analyst was sent to his bedchamber, where his wife still cared for their son. He wanted to go immediately, but he had racked up much work by abandoning his duties and was obligated to work the rest of the day, but as soon as meetings were over late in the afternoon, he darted off to hear the news.


    He didn¡¯t understand what the analyst was telling him. A gift not seen before, but of grave implications. Peak affinity for humans. He understood ¡°Peak¡± and was happy, as it was the highest grade of gift. He had heard of ¡°affinity¡± gifts before. Monster tamers often held an affinity for the particular monster they were grooming and specialists for husbandry often become so via an ¡°affinity for cows¡± or ¡°affinity for horses¡±, but for humans? Unheard of.


    Eagerly, already having decided it was some immaculate gift, he asked the analyst to elaborate as best he could, but as the explanation progressed both the color and smile on his face faded.


    Affinity gifts work in a peculiar way, the analyst explained. The leading theory is that whatever the skill denotes affinity for, will see the holder as an object of great affection.


    Due to the rarity of affinity skills, it was long assumed that the higher rarities merely meant a higher chance of the skill working on any given being, but in the more modern times, it was obvious that it was the duration and intensity, not the chance that took hold. One with ¡°lesser affinity¡± could lose the skill¡¯s effect if not seen by the affected for a few hours, while ¡°greater affinity¡± could be gone for days and still have the skill take hold.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    But the analyst had worse news still. Affinity for humans may never have been seen before, but it had been theorized. To see monsters betray their usual behavior for the benefit of mankind was a delight, but what if that same twist happened for humans? It would be horror to lose your previous self in favor of serving another, completely involuntarily. And what if a king was affected? Would a whole country be charmed by one man¡¯s skill?


    The only possible saving grace for Darl was another quirk of how affinity worked. While Jorm might have had a good chance of affecting any given passing bird, the more powerful the creature, the rarer the chance for the affect taking place was. Perhaps human would be ranked so highly it would never take hold.


    The tamer of minotaurs, Byron, was said to have encountered more than a thousand of the species for each of the three members in his team, while those with affinity for pixies often ended up slightly charming all of them.


    Since no affinity for humans had been observed before, they did not know how likely it was. The analyst ended the tale by giving the grim recommendation.


    Kill the child.


    Should the power take hold over humans, the entire world could be sent spiraling into catastrophe.


    But that was a bad choice, for the analyst at least. The duke immediately unsheathed the sword and decapitated the man who had recommended to hurt his child. His wife was baffled and the child started crying, but he could not help it. He had threatened the child he had wished for more than anything else.


    But the duke was not blind to the threat the child posed. What was he to do? After deliberation, it was announced that the child died after a few weeks. It was not uncommon for young children to pass away, but that was only among commoners. The saving grace, that made the rumor plausible was the history of the mother, who had two miscarriages beforehand. Many thought it was only natural something would be wrong with the child then.


    The child was removed from the parents and placed in a faraway house, constructed to meet his every demand. While the duke and his wife anguished at the thought of not seeing his own child, it appeared more palatable to him than the alternatives of ending his life or being charmed by interacting with him every day and losing all sense of reason.


    They initially wanted to hire a small army of attendants, but they couldn¡¯t. The boy¡¯s circumstances would inevitably spread through rumor and if his skill took hold, chaos would break out. The solution the duke ended on was to provide him with only a single maid, and should she be affected, then all the less chance she would betray the child. They needed a woman who could both breastfeed the newborn, and whose loyalty could be bought.


    A suitable woman was found. Annika was her name. She had served under one of the counts under Duke Abo, whom had gotten her pregnant, where after she was taken off duty and disgraced for siring a bastard, as was the fate of many maids under more lustful lords. She was from a poor family and was given the offer of the duke providing for both her family and her child, should she take up the task of living in the middle of nowhere and tending to the young Darl¡¯s every need. She agreed readily.


    For the first many years of Darl¡¯s life, he lived in this little slice of heaven. Annika breastfed him, played with him, taught him what little she knew and was around him all day. She was given plenty of resources, regularly delivered from the estate. Not only were there plenty of ingredients for delicious food, luxuries such as soap and shampoo, spices, fine clothes and even jewelry was brought to her. It was the duke¡¯s hope to keep her happy, to stop her from gaining any discontent towards her situation.


    Darl was now 11 years old, living with the only other person he ever knew, the 28-year old maid, Annika. Darl was a weird boy.


    He loved Annika as any boy would love his mother, and obediently followed her every command, as she was the source of all he knew. His favorite pastime was when Annika told him stories of heroes and legends. The brave warrior Andrew, who singlehandedly fought the monsters of the world, and carved out humanity¡¯s own slice for living. The wise sage Sophus, who bested the God of Death in a match of wits, and allowed humans twice as long to live. The cunning Jenner, who stole the skills from the gods and gave them to humans.


    The weird part, however, was that the young boy never emulated these tales. Many time Annika had suggested they played Andrew and monsters, a game most young boys played, but the young Darl held no interest. He only wanted to play tag, hide or seek or one of the many board games provided to them.


    He was interested in the outside world, though, but Annika had warned him never to leave or inquire about the outside world and the boy obeyed. The greater threat to their quiet and peace was Annika. While she was grateful she could help her family like this, she missed them. And she wanted to see the boy she barely held in her arms before ending up here.


    The only thing that kept her going was the idea that her family was much better off if she didn¡¯t come back, and that Darl, whom she had come to adore, would be helpless without her.


    But one fateful day, she gained another reason. The boy¡¯s skill finally took hold.

 2: Effect

    It was subtle, almost innocuous at first. Annika went to prepare dinner as she had done many times before, while leaving the young Darl to play outside. But she felt a sudden unease. An angst assaulted her, and she froze. Not knowing what to do, thinking perhaps it was an ill premonition, she went to fetch the young Darl, and as soon as he was within her sights, the unease faded. She then tried to quietly go back to cooking, but she found it difficult. She wanted Darl next to her.


    ¡°Darl¡­ Dear, come here for a second.¡± She called out to the boy who lying in the grass. He looked a bit confused but immediately complied, obedient as he was.


    ¡°Darl¡­ You¡¯ll start to learn to cook from today onwards, okay?¡± The boy¡¯s confusion was immense.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the kitchen wasn¡¯t a place for me.¡± Annika had indeed said that and cursed her previous self. The boy was, after all, a young master and the kitchen was a place for the help. She bit her lip a little in frustration.


    ¡°That was only because you are of noble stock. But someday, I won¡¯t be around anymore, and I don¡¯t know what will happen to you. But just in case, you need to learn to cook for yourself.¡± Annika thought it would be decades until she wasn¡¯t around anymore, or that the resources stopped flowing in, but she couldn¡¯t help it. She needed Darl to come with her.


    ¡°If you say so, Ann.¡± The boy replied and took her hand. A joy crept over Annika. She felt it odd, but ignored that fact in favor of enjoying the soothing feeling.


    When she started cooking, she found herself guiding the young Darl¡¯s movement by touch. Helping him cut the vegetable by moving his hands, almost like a puppeteer. She had not planned this, but found it rewarding to remain in contact with the young boy¡¯s body. Holding his right hand that held a knife. Holding his left hand that held the vegetable and guiding them through the cutting motion.


    When it came time to stir the pot, she held one hand on his chest and helped his other hands with the other. What is wrong with me? She thought. Had she turned depraved? Had the isolation gotten to her mind? She shook the feelings of her mind. It was not sexual, she promised herself as she made sure to stay in contact with the young Darl.


    The rest of the day played out much like it usually did. It was summer and Darl was tired even before the sun had set, and another feeling swept over Annika.


    Years ago, she had sorted them in different rooms, as he was becoming more of child and less of a toddler. They had slept in separate rooms for five years now. And that was frightening to her. But she had already turned back on one promise today, she didn¡¯t want to hurt her credibility in his eyes any further, and put him to bed as she always did, after helping him wash and brush his teeth.


    But when she left the room, she clung to the door. Usually, work of cleaning up the day¡¯s mess would be in order for now, but she felt the angst again. She struggled. She wanted to enter the room and cuddle with the young boy so badly, but a part of her reason eventually won against her. She left for the kitchen and started cleaning the pot, along with the various utensils.


    It felt long. Like she had been cleaning for hours, though a look at the slightly red-tinged sky, that wasn¡¯t much different from when she put Darl to bed told her otherwise. She couldn¡¯t focus on her work. She persisted anyway, and then, she ran outside.


    She peered through the window, and caught a glimpse into Dale¡¯s room. Assuredly, he looked like he was sleeping soundly underneath the covers and she decided to take action. She re-entered the house, sneaked quietly towards Darl¡¯s room and opened the door carefully.


    As she crept in, she questioned what she was doing. It didn¡¯t stop her from looming over the sleeping Darl¡¯s face.


    She was ashamed of herself. And yet, she was so tempted to reach out and caress his face. But as she reached out, she stayed the hand doing so with the other. She shouldn¡¯t disturb his rest. In the end, she decided to creep under his bed and go to sleep there. It was exhilarating, being near him without him knowing. Doing something she shouldn¡¯t do. She felt a mix of shame, confusion and delight over her actions.


    The child usually slept many hours anyway. Surely, she could sleep here and be out before the young Darl woke.


    Annika couldn¡¯t fall asleep and was tormented by thoughts. She wanted to creep out and take a look at him. She wanted to caress him. But she stayed still out of fear of what she might become. Here she was, already creepily lying under the bed of the young boy. What had become of her?


    Had Annika perhaps been told about the nature of the boy¡¯s skill, she could have fought it a bit better, but as she was left without knowing the specifics, she had made up her own story about the circumstances and fully convinced herself during the lonesome time out here.


    She thought that the duke feared his adopted heir taking the life of young Darl. That he was out here to be kept safe. She also speculated that he might be brought back after he came of age, but she was leaning more towards the Duke not daring disrespecting the other Duke family, that the adopted son came from, and they would be out here till the supplies stopped coming.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    In the following years, Annika grew ever more dependent on Darl, as his skill grew stronger. By the time Darl was twelve, he had him help clean, as they could be together longer.


    By thirteen, she had started creeping into his bed at night.


    By fourteen, she made sure they took extra-long baths together, often spending a full hour or more pressing the growing boy against her own body.


    By fifteen, she was holding his hand, remaining in contact with him all day, without a moment¡¯s respite.


    She had often observed the natural reaction a teenage boy would have to such closeness. Many times she had thought of taking care of it, but she didn¡¯t do it. It was too immoral, she thought. But even that was wearing down.


    Close to the boy¡¯s sixteenth birthday, she was lying in his bed, observing his calm, sleeping face as she had done many times before. The boy had not resisted her advances at all, during this time, and it made her feel bad. He was so na?ve and innocent, completely unlike what she remembered boys of that age to be like.


    The only thought keeping the mature Annika from devouring the young boy was her own experience. When she was his age, she was assaulted by the count. She remembers feeling scared and powerless. She kept quiet out of fear. He was a noble that could easily have her head after all. She remembers the disgust of feeling his tongue on her neck and in her mouth. And it only got worse.


    She didn¡¯t want to cause such feelings for the young Darl. She treasured him. She wanted to be with him forever. She wanted to care for him and for him to rely on her.


    But she betrayed herself a little. She took a deep whiff of the young boy. What an intoxicating scent. And she snuck a kiss from his lips, instead of the cheek as she usually did. He didn¡¯t wake, but rubbed it with his hand on reflex and a cold scare flew down Annika¡¯s spine. She would have to control herself better.


    The next day was Monday, the day of the week, where they would get new supplies and Annika was ready to receive them. For the past year or so, she had also brought the young Darl along with her, since she had stopped bearing to leave him alone for even a moment. If that continued, it was bound to go awry sooner and later, and as it turned out, it was sooner.


    The man who was delivering them supplies had until know just seen a weird pair. His name was Chapman, though his friends often called him Chappy. He knew that the funds came from the duke house, and he had guessed it was a maid and the bastard child sired by either the duke or his heir.


    He had in fact, looked down upon their assumed misdeeds and didn¡¯t care much for them, but the job was well paid and not a lot of work, so what could he do? But today, his perception changed weirdly. For some reason, he saw the young, pretty boy as an invaluable treasure. He had a bit of a knack for trading, so he knew, he was sure of it. The worth of the boy was immeasurable.


    It was not known to the humans of the time, but the affinity skill manifested in a variety of different ways. Annika had come to behold the young Darl as some kind of euphoric drug, while Chapman saw an immeasurable treasure.


    He had usually kept his interactions as curt and short as possible, but now was different. As he was unloading the supplies he brought, his eyes were drawn in by Darl. It confused him. He was certain that boy was the greatest treasure anyone could ever possess, but how? It didn¡¯t make sense.


    ¡°Could I see the boy for a moment?¡± He asks.


    Annika retreats a little, feeling the desire in Chapman¡¯s gaze. She knew at that moment, that Darl was in danger.


    ¡°You may not.¡± She replied as coldly as possible.


    ¡°Sorry, didn¡¯t mean to be rude.¡± Chapman casually replied and Annika¡¯s fear were relieved a little.


    But inside Chapman¡¯s head, a plot was already brewing. Chapman was a fairly well-off fellow, especially for a commoner. It was in part due to him having the lucrative contract to ship supplies out here, but a greater deal of his current wealth actually came from how he had invested the money he had received.


    And the contract didn¡¯t simply fall in his lap. He knew the earlier supplier, who once blurted out the nature of the scene here. How he was paid handsomely to merely deliver supplies for a woman and her child. And even though Chapman thought of him as a friend, his greed was greater. Within a fortnight, his previous friend had been sabotaged, snitched for his tardiness and an offer to overtake the contract was placed with the duke.


    In other words, Chapman was both greedy and ruthless and had come across a great treasure with nary a soul to protect it.


    He returned to his home in the village a few miles from the shed, and prepared the various tools he had in possession for opportunities like these.


    That night, he was already carrying out his scheme. He lurked till the sun set, then a few hours more. He sneaked up to the building and perused the windows. He couldn¡¯t see much, but managed to make out two rooms with beds. One empty and one filled. He was confused. Was the woman still awake? No matter, he couldn¡¯t wake all night.


    He readied a knife. He wanted to simply take the boy, but did he have to kill the woman, he would do so. He was determined. The door was unlocked and he snuck through the house. The wood gave barely audible creaky noises, as he slowly put one foot in front of the other. He arrived upon the door with the filled bed and carefully opened it.


    He squinted and in the darkness, he barely made it out. The woman and the boy was sleeping in the same bed! Moreover, it appeared as though the boy was in a tight embrace. He was in shock and he was in doubt.


    He thought they were surely up to immoral acts and he wasn¡¯t completely wrong. He had a sense of merchandise being damage and he held his knife high. But ruthless as he was, he had never taken a life before, and he faltered. Instead, he procured a flask and a mask from his satchel, that he had prepared from home.


    Chapman donned the mask and winced as he was preparing to release the bottle¡¯s contents. It was a powerful sleeping drug, that should work through dissolving in the air. These kinds of drugs were rare, not due to the scarcity of materials, but due to the scarcity of those that held the skill ¡°alchemist¡± which were needed to produce such substances, and their labor did not come cheap. It had cost him a pretty penny, but it was for opportunities like these. If he couldn¡¯t use it for this great treasure, why did he even buy it in the first place?


    He let drops fall close to their faces, but not on them. As the liquid reacted with the air, a stench spread through the room. The couple slowly went from being in a natural deep sleep, to an even deeper, artificial one.


    A few minutes later, being sure that the drug would have taken effect, Chapman lifted Darl up. He had to wrestle him out of the sleeping Annika¡¯s arms, but he succeeded nonetheless. He felt his heart beat wildly, as he hoisted the boy over his shoulders and made away with him.

 3: Prince

    On his way homing, riding the cart with the boy in the back, bound and hidden, Chapman was feeling mighty content with himself. He felt like he had just committed the greatest thievery of all time. He was rich.


    Then something in his head clicked. How exactly was the boy worth so much? Had he stolen a gem, or some jewelry, he would be looking for a fence to pawn it off to, but the boy was clearly more worth than any fence could ever produce. How could he possibly sell him at such an undercut rate?


    No, if he wanted to turn the greatest treasure into an amount of coin that could match its worth, only one possible customer could match that. The king of the country.


    But how would a lowly merchant like Chapman ever be able to receive an audience with the king? The question plagued him all the way home. He didn¡¯t reach an answer.


    As he moved to unload the haul, he remembered a fact. Though it was surely the greatest treasure he could have ever imagine, it was still undeniably a young lad. It would need to be clothed and fed and taken care of. He quickly decided to entrust the matter to his wife.


    Chapman¡¯s wife, Hemu, was often in on his tricks and more devious schemes, working quietly in the background to smooth things out. She helped him keep tabs on rumors, win favor with important persons and much more. Chapman also had two sons and a daughter. All younger than five.


    Chapman and Hemu did not love each other, but found the marriage to be mutually beneficial arrangement. Hemu had access to luxuries she could not have received from a more modest marriage, and Chapman had access to a beauty that could raise his reputation.


    It was this Hemu that Chapman woke in the middle of the night and explained his haul.


    ¡°Here, see? We¡¯re going to be rich beyond our wildest dreams!¡± Chapman proudly declared as he presented the still sleeping, bound young man.


    Hemu was confused. What boy was it? Had he kidnapped some important person¡¯s kid? She might have aided him before, but was had this not gone too far? Alas, she was already accomplice to many misdeeds and could naught but nod.


    While Darl¡¯s skill would have fully matured at this point, the chance of it taking hold was abysmally low. Chapman had simply won a terrible lottery, and Hemu was completely unaffected by his distorted world view.


    ¡°Very well. But where shall we keep him, they hayloft?¡± Hemu inquired. Chapman was furious. Could his daft wife not see this immaculate treasure? It was if one had suggested safekeeping a precious jewel in sand and mud. No, the sane thing was keep it in a shrine.


    ¡°Are you stupid, woman? Clear the kid¡¯s room and keep him in there. And tend to his every need. Should he be damaged and lose even a hundredth of his value, it would be a worse monetary loss than burning our entire estate to the ground.¡±


    Hemu was speechless. Just who had he kidnapped.


    ¡°Oh, and if you have any good ideas of coming in contact with the king, let me now.¡± Chapman said as he went to bed. A prince! Her husband had kidnapped a prince!


    Hemu was scared speechless. What risky situation had her husband put her in? Surely, they would have been in trouble had any of their previous schemes been discovered, but this was on a whole different level.


    Though it was still in the middle of the night, she went to clear the toddlers of their room, much to their discontent, and with trouble lugged the sleeping Darl to take their place. She studied the sleeping young man.


    A fine, thin face with delicate features with a thin body to match. Perhaps only a little shorter than her. He had bright, blonde hair and was pale of complexion. She checked his hands, which were nearly as soft as those of her baby, which she bore to term only recently.


    No doubt about it, it was certainly a prince. Luckily they had already procured a bed for their oldest, which he could be placed in. She found fresh sheets and her fanciest cover for him. She was terrified and only hoped to treat the young man so well, that if they were discovered, she would be spared. She loosened his bonds and placed his head gently on a pillow.


    After doing what she could, she hastily retreated to calm down the complaining toddlers and crying baby, before getting to bed when it was almost dawn.


    A few hours later, Darl awoke. He was groggy, but quickly jumped up to check his unfamiliar surroundings.


    ¡°A-annika?¡± he whispered quietly. He despaired.


    Annika¡¯s dependence on the young man had also resulted in the opposite being true, and with her nowhere to be found, he was panicking. He ran to the door and tried to open it, but it was locked. He looked around to find a window, which he immediately tried to open, but it was shut. He was trapped.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Darl was at his wit¡¯s end. He was in a place he had never been before. The person who was always with him was nowhere to be found. He quickly sought to what comfort he could find in the pillow and cover and hid himself. He rocked slowly back and forth in an attempt to calm himself but it didn¡¯t work. He only grew more anxious.


    A few hours passed with Darl in such a pitiful state, before a knock on the door was heard. ¡°Are you awake?¡± a female voice was heard.


    ¡°Ann?¡± It was different from Ann¡¯s voice, but it was the only one Darl could think of and he so hoped to see her appear.


    ¡°Excuse me.¡± Hemu said as she opened the door. She brought with her a delicious-looking breakfast. It was the sweetest waffles she knew how to make, drizzled with sugar, honey and apples. Alongside it was freshly squeezed orange juice and it was all carried on a tray and put on the nightstand next to the bed. It was nothing short of luxury compared to the average meal one would expect to have in this village.


    ¡°Pl-please enjoy.¡± Hemu was short of sleep and had slaved long to keep children happy and preparing luxurious breakfast.


    ¡°Who.. Who are you?¡± Darl hesitantly asked. He was merely trying to alleviate his confusion, but Hemu didn¡¯t perceive it that way. What she saw a kidnapped royal asking for her captor¡¯s name. It was surely to get revenge when he was ransomed.


    ¡°I am nobody important, I am merely here to tend to your needs.¡± She said, and quickly vacated the room. Poor Darl was so confused. He looked over the delicious-looking breakfast, but didn¡¯t touch it. The feelings of anxiety of confusion had completely drowned out what feeling of hunger he had.


    In the meantime, Chapman had left to visit a friend of his, the local viscount. Friend was probably too heavy a word for their relationship, but Chapman often sold it as so to others, in order to borrow the authority and influence of the viscount.


    Their relationship in fact mostly only consisted in Chapman procuring various luxury goods that the viscount wished for. The viscount wasn¡¯t that rich and had to rely on a man like Chapman in order to get what he wanted, rather than a large merchant company, as most nobles did.


    Chapman had never visited him before, without being sent for first. He had been told to inform the viscount, should he come across any unique delicatessens, but it was clearly only an invite to send a letter or ask one of his men to carry the message.


    But Chapman was paranoid. He had the world¡¯s greatest treasure on his hands and he wanted as few people as possible to know about it. He had to keep them quiet and he could only think of letting them have the cut of his precious profits in order to accomplish that. The fewer co-conspirators, the more money he could make out with.


    As he reached the estate of the viscount, he explained that he must see the lord under any circumstance. The guards were familiar enough with him and chapman was taken to the foyer, while the viscount was informed of his appearance.


    The viscount was amidst paperwork for his territory. A viscount wasn¡¯t a proper noble, but rather a commoner elevated to the position of noble for single generation. They were employed a territory¡¯s proper owner to manage a small slice of it and were one usually connected to a single city and its surrounding regions, including any villages or large farmsteads, that may lay on it.


    This particular viscount was called Rankel, and he was currently fuzzing over paperwork to his greatest ability. Rankel was no hard worker, but recently it was discovered by the count, whom he was employed by, that the territory Rankel was responsible for had not paid out the taxes it should.


    The reason was of course that Rankel had embezzled money and spent them on various luxuries. After all, a lot of brown-nosing and humiliation and sleepless nights was spent to finally become a noble, if only a viscount, and he was sure it would be smooth sailing from here. And he deserved it!


    But could he not produce an adequate sum of money, it would be obvious he had cheated. He would likely be executed for treason. Though he was already past 50, he had no plans on dying just yet, and was working tirelessly to come up with the coin, somehow.


    It was then a guard in his employ entered his office and informed him of Chapman¡¯s arrival. Thought Rankel should have known better, given his current situation, he immediately started imagining what luxuries Chapman might have acquired and wanted them. He gave the okay for Rankel to see him.


    But as Chapman was alone with him in Rankel¡¯s office, it became clear that although it was not quite what he expected and hoped for, it was even better! Surely the heavens had recognized that he only took what he deserved and sent this opportunity as a bail-out! Those were the thoughts of Rankel, as Chapman explained he had gotten his hands on a treasure only a king could buy.


    Rankel also had a way to directly inform the king. Any noble, including viscounts, could have their letters received by the palace. This was due to a variety of possibilities. Should a viscount work on a border territory and the enemy appear, it was important to inform the king as soon as possible, and not use counts and dukes as go-betweens.


    Should a duke or count behave suspiciously, betraying or plotting against the crown, it was also important that viscounts could inform the royal house directly. At the same time, however, most people never used this ability. It was seen as holding the king in contempt to waste his time, which could lead to the death penalty. And wasting his time could include feeding wrong or useless information.


    Were Rankel wiser or more careful, he would at least have inspected Chapman¡¯s treasure first, but he was desperate for coin and thought it was a chance by heavens and immediately drafted a letter. The agreement between the two people ended on Rankel taking an eighth of the sale value, which should be more than enough, given the incredible value Chapman claimed the treasure to possess.


    Meanwhile, as lunch rolled around, Hemu had prepared another meal to the limit of her abilities and prepared to deliver it to the prince. But as she entered the room, and the boy¡¯s eyes darted to her, she felt offended. She had discovered that the breakfast she spent their luxury ingredients on hadn¡¯t been touched, as if this prince thought he was too good to eat such peasantly food and she was mad.


    But she quelled her anger out of her, carefully removed the breakfast tray and placed down the one for lunch. It contained a porridge made from special sweet seeds from the south, and covered with butter, sugar and one of the most expensive spices, cinnamon. Surely, even he would take part in a dish made with cinnamon!


    But the poor Darl was simply anxious, frightened beyond belief. The food was barely even on his mind. The only thing he could think of, was to see Annika once again. He started crying as Hemu left.